Admiral Donald B. Whitmire was born July 1, 1922, in Giles County, Tennessee. He graduated from Decatur High in 1940. He was an All-American tackle at the University of Alabama in 1943 and voted to the all-time SEC Team in 1968. He was an All-American at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1944 and was awarded the Knute Rockne Trophy as outstanding lineman in the United States that year. He was selected for the Helms Hall of Fame and inducted into the National Football Hall of Fame in 1946. He is deceased.